Star
I don't remember when
it was exactly, that Donnie and decided to get a dog. I don't think we
actually did discuss the matter previously, but when we saw this advertisement
in the paper for a White German Shepherd needing a home we just had to
look into it. As fate would have it, our impulse resulted in us becoming
the proud owners of the most beautiful and intelligent dog we have ever
known.
When we first went to
see Star, she had this ?UN-cared for? look to her. She was thin, filthy,
and although very friendly a little timid. The people selling Star assured
us she would eat anything. We had no idea at the time this meant table
scraps only. At nine months old, she had NEVER even tasted dog food. Despite
her physical appearance, we were immediately drawn to her. We fell in love
with her and without hesitation decided to take Star home with us.
One of the first things
we did was have a vet examine Star. The vet told us what we already expected,
Star was extremely undernourished. Over the next few months, it became
evident to us that Star had suffered past abuse. Her ribs were tender,
she was anxious around men especially ones wearing certain clothing (baseball
hats), and she had an obvious fear of sticks. One day while walking her,
we came upon my brother (Star instantly bonded with my brother and was
good friends), who was playing street hockey. Star stopped dead in her
tracks and tried to hightail it in the other direction. I instructed my
brother to lay down his hockey stick. Upon doing this, Star excitedly went
to him.
It took much love and
understanding to heal the emotional scars inflicted on Star from her former
life. Remarkably though, despite the obvious abuse Star had been subject
to by man, she held this enormous trust in Donnie and me from almost the
first day that we took her home. She was highly intelligent, loving, and
had the sweetest disposition. She always seemed to know just what we were
thinking and with no formal training carried out our every wish wholeheartedly.
She loved other animals, adored children, and filled our lives with joy.
Star was always there
to cheer you up when you were sad. She was there to comfort you when you
were sick. She was there to share in your happy times too. She listened
attentively to our ramblings and became our leaning post through tough
times. She did all of this and more? not just for Donnie and me, but for
everyone in my family and everyone she knew. Star gave us something I believe
only animals can truly give, and that is "unconditional love." What we
gave to her was I believe a better life.
Star passed away in the
fall of 1993. She had severe hip displasia and although it crippled her
physically she never lost her eagerness to please and held onto that puppy
charm that brought us so much joy throughout the years. We miss her terribly
and when ever we feel sad we look up to the stars and remember her comforting
way. We know she is up in heaven playing with her doggie friends looking
down on us in her caring way. She was a remarkable animal and is missed
by everyone. We thank ourselves every day for acting on our intuition back
in the fall of 1980, and thank god for having been giving the chance to
have her in our lives.
This web site is in honor
of you Star! You enriched our lives and showed us the true meaning of ?unconditional
love.? We love you and miss you!
PICTURES OF STAR
